Thanks for the memories by Cecelia Ahern
I’ve not read anything by Cecelia Ahern prior to this book, but her name was on my radar because of the movie adaptation of her book PS, I love you with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler that was in theatres a while back. The inside cover blurb says she is also one of the creators of the Christina Applegate show Samantha Who?, which is interesting – that’s the only sitcom from last fall I got into and watched.
cover blurb:
How can you know someone you’ve never met?
Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn’t. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair.
Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets an attractive doctor, who persuades him to donate blood. It’s the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time.
When Joyce leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, she moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of déjà vu is overwhelming her and she can’t figure out why…
I enjoyed the characters, Joyce’s relationship with her father Henry, and the humour in this book. In particular, first-time air traveller Henry and Joyce and Henry’s gallivanting around London and Dublin were fun – favourite parts include the Viking bus, the airport, and The Antique Road Show taping. The only thing is, I’m not sure I was able to suspend disbelief and buy into to the central premise 100 per cent: having shared memories and knowledge through blood. If I didn’t struggle with the concept at times, I’d probably rate this a bit higher. Diverting nonetheless, I thought it was a good read. I’d probably check out the author’s other books in the future.
3.5/5
Thanks for the memories by Cecelia Ahern
Harper Collins, 2008
isbn: 000723368X or 978-0007233687
available from amazon.ca
